Men's Tennis Southern Conference

Mountaineers Down Bulldogs Friday

BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State men's tennis opened its SoCon slate with a 5-2 victory over The Citadel on Friday afternoon at Earle Tennis Center in Charleston, South Carolina.

With the win, the Mountaineers (3-7, 1-0 SoCon) improve to 2-1 in March play, while the Bulldogs (5-6, 0-3 SoCon) are 0-4 on the month, with three conference losses including today's loss to Appalachian.

The Citadel started off strong with doubles competition. While Appalachian's No. 1 duo Zach Bost/Sebastien King defeated Oliver Dedding/David Orces in the first match of the day, the Bulldogs took the doubles decision with 8-5 and 8-6 victories at No's. 2 and 3, respectively.

David Orces carried the momentum for the Citadel as he overcame Sebastien King at No. 1 (6-2, 6-3) to give the Bulldogs an early two point advantage. The Mountaineers responded, however, picking up wins in the remaining matches. Steve Karendal defeated Dillon Berkabile at No. 2 (6-1, 7-5), while Bost posted a 6-1, 6-1 win versus Peter Bleach in No. 3. Rounding out Appalachian's two-set victories were Andrew McKinnon, who bested James Atkinson (6-4, 7-5) in No. 4 flight, and Zeke Sansing, who defeated Jackson Pride (6-3, 6-4) in the sixth position. Matt Saltsgaver found success at No. 5, where he defeated Elliott Sperr in three sets (3-6, 6-4, 6-4).